Villafane, Port Richmond top Flushing in football, 8-6

Port Richmond quarterback Michael Goffredo gave the Raiders the lead for good with a two-point conversion run in the third quarter. (Staten Island Advance file photo by Hilton Flores)

Halfback Mario Villafane gave new meaning to turning the corner on Saturday.

The fleet-footed senior had several impressive running plays on sweeps, including a game-tying 18-yard rush in the third quarter as Port Richmond escaped with an 8-6 PSAL victory over visiting Flushing on Saturday.

Quarterback Michael Goffredo's two-point conversion was the difference for the Raiders, who bounced back nicely after suffering a 14-8 season-opening loss to Boys and Girls a week ago.

Villafane, who rushed for a team-high 66 yards, teamed with fullback Justin Coleman (62 yards) to lead a 172-yard attack on the ground and 13 first downs, thanks in part to the play of offensive linemen Alfonso Hernandez, Nicholas Ferrandino, Keon Hughes, Anthony Ojeh and Compton Richmond.

But despite the Raiders success on the ground, they were unable to find the end zone in the first half and trailed 6-0 when Flushing quarterback Terrence Chavis found receiver Shaquan Roberts for a 6-yard TD strike on a slant late in the first half.

"Since the season started, we really haven't clicked offensively yet,'' said PR head coach Lou Vesce, whose team also took advantage of 11 Flushing penalties for 75 yards. "Fortunately, we were more in the sync in the second half.''

In fact, after Port Richmond's defense, which received strong play from linebackers Richmond and Tyrone Martin and defensive back Terrance Overton (sack, interception), forced a Flushing three-and-out to start the new half, Vesce's offense took center stage.

After Goffredo's fourth-and-inches, 2-yard run set up a first down on the Flushing 34, Villafane gained 12 on a sweep left for another first down and two plays later, he again took a handoff from Goffredo and raced toward the right sideline.

As he did several times earlier in the game, Goffredo shifted gears to avoid several tackles before turning the corner and racing 18 yards to pay dirt to tie the score at 6 with 7:26 left in the third.

"We just started executing more on offense,'' said Vesce. "(Villafane) is healthy now (he was injured or sick for a good portion of last season) and he's a special player who not only has the extra gear, but he's also hard to take down.''

Goffredo, who also had an interception, faked a handoff on the PAT, then circled left before finding the end zone himself to give the Raiders an 8-6 lead.

Port Richmond wouldn't relinquish its lead, stopping the Red Devils on five consecutive series following its go-head score to preserve the win. After allowing 105 yards through the air in the first half, the Raiders limited Chavis (4 for 14 in the second half) to 48 yards after halftime.

Overton solidified the victory after picking off Chavis and returning it 54 yards for a touchdown, but the score was nullified because of a clipping call as time expired.